Method:We reviewed official pricing, help, security and migration documentation on July 16, 2026. Plan names, prices, availability and features can change, so reconfirm them at checkout.
Scope:This is an official-source review for purchase decisions. We did not perform a reproducible usability or performance test, so it does not rank ease of use, speed or design quality.
Disclosure:At publication, this article contains no affiliate links. If links are added later, they will be disclosed near the link and under our Affiliate Disclosure. Affiliate Disclosure
Conclusion: a candidate for design-led business sites with built-in selling
Squarespace
Squarespace starts with a 14-day trial rather than a permanent free plan, and paid subscriptions include managed cloud hosting. Products and services can be sold on paid plans, but commerce features and Squarespace transaction fees vary by plan. Migration is based on supported content exports rather than a complete portable copy of the site.
- Permanent free plan
- None
- Free trial
- 14 days
- Custom domain
- Connectable; eligible annual plans include first year
- SSL
- Automatic on correctly connected domains
Advantages confirmed in official documentation
- Evaluate the editor and structure in a 14-day trial without a credit card
- Managed cloud hosting is included with paid website plans
- Eligible annual plans include one custom domain for the first year
- Products, services and gated content can be managed on the same site
Constraints to check before subscribing
- There is no permanent free plan
- Sales can involve both payment-processing fees and plan-dependent Squarespace transaction fees
- Plan and commerce availability should be confirmed for the account and region
- Not every site feature can be exported and recreated elsewhere
Plan structure
| Option | Official terms | Typical use | Check before purchase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free trial | 14 days; no credit card required | Evaluating editor, pages and features | Trial-site publishing and export have limitations |
| Monthly website plans | Check current pricing page | Short projects or testing before annual billing | Can cost more than annual billing |
| Annual website plans | Discounted billing; eligible domain free for first year | Ongoing business sites | Check domain renewal cost after year one |
| Plans with selling features | All paid plans can sell; features and fees vary | Products, services and gated content | Separate payment-processing fees from Squarespace transaction fees |
Prices, taxes, currencies, discounts and available plans vary by market and date. Use the official pricing page and checkout as the final source.
Main capabilities confirmed by official sources
Site building
- Templates and section editing
- Blog and portfolio
- Forms
- Custom-domain connection
Selling
- Physical and service products
- Digital products
- Gated content
- Scheduling and invoicing features
Operations
- Managed cloud hosting
- Contributors and permissions
- Domain management
- Analytics
Security and migration
- Automatic SSL
- HSTS options
- Supported XML content export
- Product and contact import/export tools
Exports are available, but they are not a complete portable copy of the website
Supported exports
Squarespace documents an XML export for supported pages and blog content, primarily for import into WordPress. Products and contacts have separate import/export workflows.
Limitations
Not every page type, style, custom code, product type, membership feature or integration can be reproduced through the export. Content cannot be exported from a trial site.
Who it may suit and who should compare alternatives
May suit
- You want a unified design for site and selling
- Hosting and SSL should be managed by the platform
- A small team will update a template-based site
- Built-in memberships, content or scheduling are under consideration
Compare alternatives when
- A permanent free site is required
- A complete export to another host is mandatory
- The project needs a broad plugin ecosystem or custom back end
- Commerce fees or payment-region support do not meet requirements
Pre-purchase checklist
- 1. Use the 14-day trial to test required pages and mobile layouts
- 2. Compare monthly and annual billing and the domain renewal after year one
- 3. For selling, calculate payment-processing and Squarespace transaction fees separately
- 4. Design contributor roles and permissions
- 5. Confirm that required pages, products, customers and images can be exported
Frequently asked questions
Does Squarespace have a free plan?
No permanent free plan is offered. Every website can begin with a 14-day trial.
Can I use a custom domain and SSL?
A custom domain can be connected or registered. Correctly connected domains pointing to a Squarespace site receive automatic free SSL.
Can a Squarespace site be moved elsewhere?
Supported content can be exported, but the complete design, functionality and integrations cannot necessarily be recreated on another platform.
Official sources checked
- Squarespace — PricingTrial, billing, domains, hosting and selling
- Squarespace — Trial Sites14-day trial and limitations
- Squarespace — Domains OverviewFirst-year domain and domain controls
- Squarespace — SSL CertificatesAutomatic SSL and eligible domains
- Squarespace — Transaction FeesProcessing fees and Squarespace transaction fees
- Squarespace — Exporting Your SiteSupported XML export and limitations
- Squarespace — PermissionsContributor roles and permissions